Golf club shipping and display receptacle



Feb. 24, 1953 c. D. WELSHENBACH GOLF CLUB SHIPPING AND DISPLAY RECEPTACLE Filed March 18, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet l I will III!!!IllllllllllllilllilllfllllllllllillllllllfllillllIllilll .4 I

INVENTOR Charles D. Velshenbach 50W sf- ZQ Q7 ATTORNEYS 24, 1953 c. D. WELSHENBACH 2,529,499

GOLF CLUB SHIPPING AND DISPLAY RECEPTACLE Filed March 18, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 INVENTOR 1 Charles B. Tvielshemhack 1 1 .5 BY $71k ATTORNEYS Feb. 24, 1953 c. D. WELDSHENBACH cow CLUB SHIPPING AND DISPLAY RECEPTACLE Filed March 18, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 71x61 ORNEYS ATT Feb. 24, 1953 c. D. WELSHENBACH GOLF CLUB SHIPPING AND DISPLAY RECEPTACLE Filed March 18, 1949 4 SheetsSheet 4 vlllllll'll llliiltllflil Grllilliillilllillllll! INVENTOR Charles D.mlshenha,ch

he ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED S TATE S PATENT OF F'IC E GOLF CLUB SHIPPING AND DISPLAY RECEPTACLE Charles 1). Welshenbach, Sandusky, Ohio, as-' sign'or to The Hinde & Dauch Paper Company,

Sandusky, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 18, 1949, SerialNo;82,i94

6 Claims. 1

This "invention relates togolf club display-and shipping containers constructeizl and arranged to hold aseries of golf clubs in fixed positions during shipment and for display purposes.

The invention has for an object to provide a shipping and display container in which the clubs are securely held against movement during shipment and in which 'the clubs are so disposed that they are attractively displayed upon removal of theco've'r of theshippi-ng container.-

A further objec'tof the "invention is to provide a one-piece display rack formed from a single strip of "paperboard provided with slotted ribs and integral eh'd stops for positioning clubs of different lengths. V

with the-above an'd other-objects view the invention may be said to comprise the golf club shipping and display container as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described; together with such variations and modific'ati'ons thereof as will beappa'rent to one skilled in the art to which the invention ertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings formin a art of this specification which:

Figure I is a top pian view of a shipping and display container embodying the invention and designed for shipping and displaying clubs of the type known as irori's." I I Fig.- 2 is a Side elevation of the container shown in Fig. I with a portion broken away and shown inlongitudinal section Fig 3 is a transverse section through the container taken on the line indicated at 3-4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on an enlarged scale taken on the line indicated at 4 -4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is-a perspective view of the club retaining cap;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the paperboard blank from which the rack is formed; v

Fig. "7 is a plan view of the blank from which the retaining cap is formed;

Fig; 8 is a fragmentary plan view showing amodified construction;

Fig. 9 is a top plan View of a shipping container embodying the invention designed for shipping and displaying golf clubs of the type commomy known as woods;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of: the container shown in Fig. 9' partially broken away and. shown in longitudinal section 1i isa fragmentary lo'ii gitu'dinalseotion on v 2 an enlarged-scale taken on the line indicated at IIH in Fig. 9-;

Fig. 12 isa perspective view of the club retain ing cap Fig. 13 is a plan view of the blank from "which the club positioning rack is formed;

Fig.1 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale taken on the line indicated at M -I 4 in Fig. 9;and-

Fig. 15 is a section similar to Fig. '14 with the retaining cap removed.

The deviceof the present invention comprises a suitable shipping container A which may be a conventional paperboard box construction of elongated rectangular form of a size suitable to receivea number of golf clubs, in which the clubs are positioned for display purposes by means of a rack B that fits Within the container A; In order to securely hold the clubs against movement during shipping, a retaining cap C is provided which engages the clubs and certain of the club positioning members in the container, and which has its top surface flush with the top of the container A for engagement with the cover of the container when engaged with the clubs so that the clubs are securely held against movement during shipment.

InFigs. 1 to '7 of the drawings a shipping and display container is shown that is adapted to receive golf clubs of the type commonly known as irons. The container A has a flat bottom I, upright side walls 2 and upright end walls 3, the walls 2 and 3 being provided with inturned flaps 4 and 5 which form the inner surfaces of the walls. I

The club positioning rack B is formed from a strip of paperboard of a width to fit between the side walls 2 of the container A, and this rack is provided at one end with a flat portion 6. At the inner end of the flat portion 6 there is a hollow transverse rib T. inwardly of the rib I there is a second flatportion 8 which extends to a second hollow transverse rib 9 which is located be tween the flat portion 8 and a third flat portion I9 of the rack. At the end of the flat portion 10 the rack is provided with an upstanding end portion [2 which serves to positionclubs of different lengths theend portion 12- having offset club positioning faces 13 and I4 adjacent the opposite side walls 2 of the container, the positioning face l4 being offset inwardly with respect to the positioning face l3 to provide an abutment for the head of a shorter club. Between the face portions i3 and I4 the end portion l2 has a laterally inclined upright inner face 15 that provides an abutment for the head of a series of clubs of progressively greater length.

The rack B fits within the receptacle A with the flat portions 6, 8 and I9 thereof resting upon the bottom Wall I of the container, and with the outer end of the flat portion 6 engaging one end wall 3 of the container and the upstanding club positioning portion |2 in engagement with the opposite end wall of the container.

The upstanding ribs I and 9 have spaced upright sides l6 and flat tops I] connecting the sides I5, and each of the ribs has laterally spaced slots |8 that extend parallel to the side walls 2 of the container across the tops H and down into the sides l6 of the ribs. The slots of the rib 9 are longitudinally alined with the slots of the rib 1 and the slots are of a size to receive the shanks of golf clubs, each rib having engagement with the shanks of the clubs at spaced points since the clubs fit in the slots l8 and rest upon the bottoms of the slots l8 which end in the spaced side walls l of the ribs. Each of the ribs 1 and 9 is provided with a recess 19 at one end which is of the same depth as the slots l3 and which is of a width to accommodate the shank of a golf club between the inner side of the recess and the adjacent wall 2 of the container. The golf clubs are positioned in a rack with their shanks lying in the slots l8 and with their heads engaging the inner face portions of the end positioning member l2.

In order to securely hold the golf clubs against relative movement during shipment, a box-like cap C is provided which is shaped to fit over one of the transverse positioning ribs of the rack. The cap C has side walls 29 adapted to engage with the sides I5 of the rib and end walls 2| adapted to overlie the ends of the ribs, the caps also having a fiat top 22 which overlies the top of the rib on which the cap is placed. The side walls 20 of the cap have slots 23 which are of a size to receive the shanks of the golf clubs and which are adapted to register with the slots N3 of the rib 1. The ends 2| of the cap are positioned between the ends of the rib and the opposite side walls 2 of the shipping container, one of the end walls of the cap being located in the recess l9, and the rib I having a cutaway portion 24 at its opposite end to receive the opposite end of the cap.

When the cap C is placed upon the rib 1 the tops of the slots 23 are brought into engagement with the shanks of the clubs resting upon the bottoms of the slots l8 of the rib, and when so positioned the top of the cap 0 is flush with the top edges of the container 2 so that it will be firmly held in engagement with the clubs by the container cover (not shown) during shipment.

As shown in Fig. 6, the blank from which the rack B is formed is provided with four parallel transverse fold lines 25, 26, 21 and 28 for forming each of the transverse ribs, the sides of the ribs being joined to the base of the rack by the fold lines 25 and 28 and to the top H of the ribs by fold lines 26 and 21.

The upstanding end portion l2 of the rack is joined to the base portion by a transverse fold line 29 and a second fold line 30 is provided parallel to the fold line 29 so that an outer upright wall 3| which engages with an end wall of the container A is provided between the fold lines 29 and 30.

The inner face portion I3 is in the form of a flap which is joined at its inner edge to the wall 3| by the fold line 30 and which is separated from the inclined face portion l5 by an inclined slit 33. The flap I3 is held against the inner face of the Wall 3| by means of a tongue 34 formed on its outer edge and engaging in a slot 35 formed in the fiat portion ll) of the rack.

The inclined positioning face I5 is formed by a portion of the blank lying between parallel fold lines 35 and 31 that extend from the slit 33 at an inclination to the fold line 39.

The inwardly offset face portion I4 is part of an extension 38 at the side of the blank opposite that on which the flap I3 is formed that is separated from the face portion |5 by a notch 4|. The face portion |4 lies between two transverse fold lines 39 and 40 extending across the extension 38. A portion of the blank outwardly of the fold line 30 is folded to a horizontal position above the flat portion I0 of the rack and the inner face portion I4 is folded down to an upright position, the fold line 40 forming a flap 42 which is adapted to lie upon the top surface of the portion H] of the rack and which is secured to the flat portion by means of a suitable fastener 43.

The inclined face portion I5 is adapted to be folded down to upright position between the face portions I3 and I4 and outwardly of the fold line 3'! a triangular flap 44 is provided which is adapted to lie flat upon the portion l0 of the rack with its outer edge in engagement with the upright wall 3|, as shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 7, the cap C is formed from a one-piece paperboard blank, the top 22 of the cap lying between parallel fold lines 45 and 46 which join the sides 29 to the top 22. At opposite ends thereof the sides 20 are provided with transverse fold lines 41 and 48, and beyond these fold lines flaps 49 and 50 are provided which are separated at their inner edges from the body of the blank by means of slits so that the flaps 49 and 50 can be folded inwardly to lock the sides to the ends of the cap.

Between the flaps 49 and 50 transverse fold lines 5| and 52 are provided which serve to join the end walls 2| of the cap to the top 22, and the end members 2| are provided with transverse fold lines 53 and 54 so that the end members can be folded over the flaps 49 and 50 to lock the ends of the cap to the sides thereof. It will be noted that the flap 50 and the end wall portion 2| at one end of the cap is shorter than at the other, providing an end wall at one end that is somewhat shorter than the end wall at the other end for engagement with the bottom of the recess IQ of the rib 1.

It may in some instances be desirable to position the transverse rib of the rack which receives the portion of the shanks adjacent the heads of the clubs at an inclination to the sides of the container as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings,.

wherein a transverse rib 55 is disposed substantially parallel with the inclined positioning facev I5 and has club receiving slots 56 that are par-' allel to the side wall of the container.

In Figs. 9 to 15 of the drawings a shipping and display container is disclosed which accommodates golf clubs of the type known as woods. The container shown in Figs. 9 to 15 comprises a shipping container A similar to the container previously described, a club positioning rack B'- that i formed to position the woods and a cap C that retains the clubs during shipment.

The rack B has a flat end portion 60 at one end, a rib til at the inner end of the flat portion 60, a second flat portion 62 between the rib 6| and a second transverse rib t3, and a third flat portion 64 between the rib 63 and the opposite end of the container, the latter endof the container having a hollow abutment -65 -"extending partiallyacross the end'of the container to position shorter clubs. The ribs 61 and 63 are provided with clubreceiving slots'fit spaced from the ends thereof and one end of each rib has tongues iii and Qtintegrai with the sides and 'topthereof that are bentinwardly and downwardly to provi'de a-club receiving recess at theend-o'f each ribfthe tongue "63 being bent inwardly from the sides of the rib "and the "tongue 61 downwardly from the top of the rib, the tongue as engaging the outer side of the tongue .6! .tohold the same in vertical position, as'shownin'Fig. l4. The r ib ila has the end thereof ioppos'ite the club receiving recess cut away as indic-atednt 69 to receive'an endof thecap C. The cap C is of box-like form, having side walls Hi and end walls H, the side walls being provided with slots 12 adapted to fit over'the shanks of clubs'seated in the slots 55 ofthe rib63, the cap fitting over the rib 63 with its sidewalls H3 engaging the "side walls of the rib and its end walls H positioned between the ends of the rib and the side 'of the container A.

The depth of the slots i2 is such that when the cap i placed on the rib 63 with the tops of the slots F2 in engagement with the clubs, the top face of the cap lies flush with the top edges of the side walls of the container so that it will be engaged by the cover to firmly clamp the clubs.

As shown in Fig. 13, the rack A is formed from a one-piece paperboard blank in the form of a strip that fits within the container. The ribs are formed by folding the strip on transverse fold lines as in the modification first described. The end abutment 65 is formed by a projection 13 at one end of the blank which is joined to the body of the blank by a fold line M which is spaced inwardly from the end portion of the blank adjoining the end projection 13, and separated from the body of the blank between the fold line M and the end of the blank by a slit 15. The projection I3 i provided with parallel fold lines 16 and I? by means of which the projection can be folded to provide a hollow abutment engaging the end wall of the container, as is shown in Figs. and 11.

The tongues 61 and 68 which form the inner sides and bottom of the club receiving recess at one end of each of the ribs 6! and 63 are so formed that they provide a club receiving recess when bent inwardly but are normally parts of the sides and top of the rib so that if one of the clubs of the set is omitted the club receiving recess may also be omitted.

It is to be understood that in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, variations and modifications of the specific devices herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. A shipping and display receptacle for golf clubs comprising an elongated rectangular container having a fiat bottom and upright side and end wall and a club rack fitting within said container and resting upon the bottom thereof, said rack comprising a strip of paperboard of a width to fit between said side walls and having a portion intermediate its ends bent about four parallel transverse fold lines to form a hollow upstanding rib having a fiat top wall and spaced side walls, said rib having its ends spaced from said side seesaw walls andbeing provided with s aced club receiv ing slots extending across said top-wall parallel withthe container sidewalls, and a ibox like club retaining cap shaped to fit upon said rib and having side and'end walls engageable with the sides and ends of said rib, theside walls ofsaid cap'having'club receiving slots 'adapted to register with the-club receiving slots of said rib.

'2. A shipping-and display receptacle 'for golf clubs comprising an'elongated rectangular container having a flat bottom'and-upright-side and end walls *anda club rack fitting "within said containerand resting upon the bottom thereof, said rack-comprising a'strip 'of paperboard of a width to fit between said side walls and-having a portion intermediate its ends bent about four parallel transverse fold lines 'to form *a :hollow upstanding rib havinga fiatto'p wall and 'spac'ed'side walls, said strip being recessed "atthe ends of said rib to'spacethe'ends ofthe rib from theside wall'of thecontainenclub receiving slots insaid rib parallel with the side walls 'of the container and terminating inth'e sides of the rib abovethebottom of the rib, "and a box-like'club retaining-cap having side "and end Walls engageable 'with the sides and ends of the rib "and-provided withclub receiving slots that register with the slots of the rib and that are of a depth such that when engaged with club in the rack the top of the cap is substantially flush with the top edges of the container walls.

3. A golf club display rack adapted to fit within the side and end walls of an elongated rectangular shipping container and comprising an elongated paperboard strip of a Width to fit between the side walls of the container and having upwardly bent portions intermediate its ends forming transversely disposed upstanding ribs, said ribs having alined club receiving slots, said strip having an end portion provided with parallel transverse fold lines extending across the same at right angles to its side edges and a second pair of fold lines at an inclination to the first pair and between said first pair and the end of said strip, said strip being bent about said fold lines to provide a hollow end stop with an outer upright wall engageable with the container end wall and an inner transversely inclined upright positioning wall accommodating clubs of various lengths.

4. A golf club display rack adapted tofit within the side and end walls of an elongated rectangular shipping container and comprising an elongated paperboard strip of a width to fit between the side walls of the container and having upwardly bent portions intermediate its ends forming transversely disposed upstanding ribs, said ribs having alined club receiving slots, said strip having an end portion folded to provide an upstanding club positioning stop, said end portion having two parallel fold lines across the strip at right angles to the side edges thereof and two independently foldable portions swingable upon the outer of said fold lines, the portion of the strip between said fold lines providing an upright wall for engagement with the container end wall, one of the foldable portions being a flap foldable against the inner face of said upright wall and the other of said foldable portions being provided with transverse fold lines and being foldable to provide club positioning walls inwardly oifset with respect to said flap.

5. A golf club display rack adapted to fit within the side and end walls of an elongated rectangular shipping container and comprising an elongated paperboard strip of a width to fit between the side walls of the container and having upwardly bent portions intermediate its ends forming transversely disposed upstanding ribs, said ribs having alined club receiving slots, said strip having an end portion folded to provide an upstanding club positioning stop, said end portion having two parallel fold lines across the strip at right angles to the side edges thereof and two independently foldable portions swingable upon the outer of said fold lines, the portion of the strip between said fold lines providing an upright wall for engagement with the container end wall, one of the foldable portions being a flap foldable against the inner face of said upright wall at one end of said wall, the other of the foldable portions having a fold line extending from the outer of said transverse fold lines adjacent said flap at an inclination to said fold line, a second inclined fold line parallel to the first and a triangular flap outwardly of said second fold line, whereby it may be folded to dispose said triangular flap in engagement with the body of the strip and the portion thereof between the inclined fold lines in upright position inwardly of said upright wall.

6. A golf club display rack adapted to fit within the side and end walls of an elongated rectangular shipping container and comprising an elongated paperboard strip of a width to fit between the side walls of the container and having upwardly bent portions intermediate its ends forming transversely disposed upstanding ribs, said ribs being hollow and having spaced upright sides and a horizontal top, the top of each rib having an integral tongue adapted to be bent downwardly and the sides of the ribs having tongues bendable inwardly into retaining engagement with downturned tongues, the tongues of said ribs forming sides and bottoms of alined club receiving recesses in said ribs.

CHARLES D. WELSHENBACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,054,355 Anderson Sept. 15, 1936 2,253,008 Anderson Aug. 19, 1941 2,307,349 Anderson Jan. 5, 1943 2,307,350 Anderson Jan. 5, 1943 2,460,230 Makrianes Jan. 25, 1949 2,559,552 Welshenbach July 3, 1951 

